Coheed and Cambria - "Bull Moose Sessions" Tape

4.4/10

The question is easier said than answered: How do you take an emo-punk-etc. band's hardcore sound and soften it up for some easy listening? And while New York's Coheed and Cambria can do this very, very well (just listen to the "Junesong Provision" demo), it's increasingly difficult when the bootleg "Bull Moose Sessions" is a handful of repetition that most of the band's fans would likely roll their eyes at.

The acoustic tapes are a set the band performed at Bull Moose, an entertainment store in Scarborough, Maine. And while the exuded effort is an enjoyable one from lead singer/guitarist Claudio Sanchez and company, the result is unvaried.

Three tracks off their new release, Year of the Black Rainbow, are included, as well as an acoustic version of the crowd-pleasing "Welcome Home."

The acoustic "Here We Are Juggernaut" is a far break from the bleeding-heavy original. Heavy sustains and booming drums are replaced with whimsical piano and the incense-and-flowers-oh-girl side of Sanchez's vocals. And yet, they surprisingly fit the music's passion just as well as the brooding master track. So, a tangible copy of the spin-off is a must for anyone that considers themselves Children of the Fence.

But alas, new ground isn't exactly being broken here. The derivatives of ballads "Far" and "Pearl of the Stars" sound like soft matches to their studio-produced counterparts. Not to mention "Welcome Home" has not only been overplayed, but overproduced as an acoustic copy. One only needs to listen to the Kerrang! radio tape to make sense of this. Not to mention that the production is shoddy at best. Distortion, fades in and out in volume consistency, and too-loud audience members really make the last track a downer.

But it's not as if the band were feigning ambition. These versions were available on YouTube for about two weeks before Black Rainbow was actually released, and ultimately stirred up interest for the studio album. In the end, it seems like a live record where, in the most Bohemian of rock 'n' roll clichés, you really had to see them for yourself.